1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement in the device for attaching fasteners and more particularly the device which can attach plastic fasteners continuously in one action to pieces of merchandise, such as clothes, so that each fastener may hold a tag hanging from one of those pieces of merchandise to show e.g. its price and quality.
2. Description of the Related Art
Known fasteners of the type as described are shown in FIG. 14. Before they are attached, the fasteners 1 form an assembly A in which they are connected to a connecting bar 2 by holding pins 3 in an equally spaced and juxtaposed relation to one another. Each fastener 1 has a filamentary portion 4, a retaining paddle 5 defining its top and a lateral pin 6 extending at right angles to its filamentary portion 4 and defining its bottom, and is driven through and attached to an article, such as clothes, to hang a tag therefrom.
Various types of devices are known for attaching fasteners and each device generally has a guide extending vertically therethrough to support a fastener assembly as described above, a piston slidable by a lever and a driving rod carried at the front end of the piston for forcing the lateral pin 6 of each fastener into a hollow needle having a slit, whereupon the lateral pin 6 is severed from the holding pin 3, so that the fastener 1 may be attached to an article. As the hollow needle is passed through a hole in a tag and forced through the article, the lateral pin 6 leaves the hollow needle to stay on the opposite side of the article, while the filamentary portion 4 leaves the hollow needle through its slit.
The device also has a mechanism for feeding the assembly A intermittently by a distance equal to the pitch between every two adjoining fasteners 1, while the connecting bar 2 from which all the fasteners 1 have been separated is moved down and ejected.
As the feeding mechanism has a pawl which is rotatable to engage a holding pin 3 on the assembly A and move it, the combination of a plurality of arms, etc. forms a complicated structure having a large number of parts and involving a high stroke load.
When the connecting bar 2 is moved down to be ejected, it arrives in front of the fingers of a person holding the grip and lever to operate the device and is likely to interfere with its operation, or the holding pins 3 remaining on the connecting bar are likely to hurt his finger or fingers.
Therefore, there has recently been proposed a mechanism for moving the connecting bar 2 backward through the device to eject it from the back of the device instead of moving it down.
When the hollow needle has at its rear end a cutter for separating each fastener from the assembly, a damaged cutter requires the exchange of the whole hollow needle, even though it may be very uneconomical.
However, it may sometimes be the case that the connecting bar is so short as to stay within the device without being ejected from its back.
The following is a list of literature showing related art of which the applicant is aware:
(1) Japanese Patent Publication JP-A-2001-253419;
(2) Japanese Utility Model Registration 3,112,848;
(3) Japanese Patent Application 2006-46574.